Madras, Surf Boats on the Beach, Antique Steel Engraving, 1859
€ 180
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1859
Mapmaker / artist
Published by Gebroeders Kraay
Publisher
Gebroeders Kraay, Amsterdam
Technique
Steel Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-00114-22
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; edges straight and without nicks. Even age toning, lightly soiled along the right edge. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
About this sheet
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, titled "MADRAS." Heavy rollers break on a shingle beach in the foreground. Two large, deep-hulled surf boats are drawn up on the shore at the left, men working around them, while two men lean back on a rope to haul in a boat. Out in the surf a boat full of rowers rides the crest of a wave, and a smaller boat follows further out. Along the shore at the left stretch the walls, towers and white buildings of the town, with a flag flying above them and palm trees at the far left. On the horizon at the right a line of tall sailing ships lies at anchor under a wide, cloudy sky.
The plate is lettered below the image in Dutch: "MADRAS.", which translates as "Madras". Beneath the caption, in a small script, is the publisher's imprint "Uitg. Gebrs Kraaÿ, Amsterdam.", short for uitgegeven (published) by the Kraay brothers of Amsterdam. No artist or engraver is named on the plate.
The plate comes from Britsch-Indië, beschreven naar de nieuwste bronnen (British India, described from the newest sources) by A. van Otterloo, published in Amsterdam by Gebroeders Kraay in 1859. The book is the first part, or Eerste Deel, of the publisher's series Vreemde Landen en Volken (Foreign Lands and Peoples), and its title page announces twenty-four steel engravings and a map. Steel plates held fine, even lines through long print runs, which suited illustrated books of this kind.
Madras had no sheltered harbor in this period, and passengers and cargo were carried through the surf in boats like these. The rolling waves and large sky make a fine marine picture for a coastal home or a study.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
